DraftKings Player Pricing for Players Championship

Breaking Down DraftKings Player Pricing for Players Championship

The Players Championship is nearly here, with this tournament widely regarded as the “fifth Major” of the golfing calendar. Some people agree with that title, others don’t. Either way, this is set to be a big tournament, with one of the deepest player pools of the year so far.

All of the sport’s biggest names will be in attendance, with each and every one of them vying for victory on the famous Sawgrass course. For fantasy fans, this event is a great opportunity to enter some contests and win some cash. DraftKings remains the leader of the DFS industry, so that’s a great place to start building your rosters in anticipation of the tournament. In this article, we’ll look through DraftKings’ prices of various players to help you pick the smartest and most successful rosters possible.

A Look at the Field and TPC Sawgrass

Before we get going on the list, let’s just talk about the environment. Nearly all of the top 50 ranked players in the world will be attending The Players, including all of the top stars like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and more. Last year’s edition was won by Rickie Fowler, after a rather tense playoff round featuring Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia. Masters winner Danny Willett will also be in attendance, hoping to continue his excellent form as the year progresses.

The course itself is always a tricky win, with a variety of skills required for success. The 17th hole is the most iconic, but the course is littered with hazards and other problems for players to overcome. There’s usually plenty of drama at The Players, especially in the closing holes of the final round. With the introduction out of the way, let’s begin our list with the highest-priced players over on DraftKings.

Rory McIlroy

Priced at $11,700, McIlroy is the clear favorite for this tournament. His latest outing at Quail Hollow was an impressive one, even if he did fail to walk away with the title. He really seems to be getting back to his best form, with several impressive appearances so far in 2016. He used to have a bit of a rough time at Sawgrass in the early years of his career, failing to make the cut for three years in a row. However, he’s stepped up in his game in recent times and has finished in the top 8 since 2013. He’ll hope to do even better this year and claim victory at this prestigious event.

Jordan Spieth

The young Texan is one of golf’s hottest stars right now. Having burst onto the scene with two incredible Major wins last year, Spieth hasn’t looked back. His form has dropped down a little from those early, explosive days, but he’s still one of the sport’s best performers. Unfortunately, he made the headlines for all the wrong reasons at this year’s Masters, where he broke down and gave up a big lead to Danny Willett. Still, Spieth has shown he can handle big-pressure situations and will want to bounce back with style at this tournament. DraftKings has priced him at 11,400, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him walk away with the win.

Jason Day

The current world number one is actually a little cheaper than the two stars mentioned above. Day is priced at 11,000 on DraftKings, but has probably been the best player in the game over the last twelve months. He’s certainly been playing the best golf of his entire career and seems set to keep on impressing people as the year progresses. However, he does have some bad history at Sawgrass. He’s missed the cut several times over the last few years and could struggle again, but his form seems too good to ignore at the moment.

Rickie Fowler

Now we’re getting below the 11,000 mark as Rickie Fowler will cost you 10,600. He’s the defending champion, but DFS players shouldn’t let themselves get too carried away here. It’s true that Fowler is one of the best golfers around, but he didn’t exactly light the field ablaze last year and was actually a little lucky to make the playoff. He’s missed several cuts on this course in the past and doesn’t have too much success at this event outside of his win. It’s also important to note that The Players has never seen a single back-to-back champion.

Justin Rose

Rose is in good form and played very well at Quail Hollow, managing to finish ahead of bigger stars like Fowler and McIlroy. He’s having a good time in 2016, finishing reasonably highly in almost every tournament he has entered. He’s a consistent player and should do well again at this year’s Players. In the past, the Englishman has missed the cut quite a few times here, but also placed in the top 4 back in 2014. As you can see, it’s hard to judge how certain players will do at this event, but we’d bet on Rose having a good weekend due to his good recent form.

Adam Scott

Scott is having a fine season, entering ten PGA Tour events and making the cut in every single one of them. He also earned some impressive wins at the WGC-Cadillac and The Honda. He has decent history at Sawgrass, having won The Players way back in 2004 and having also made the cut many times since then. He often finishes in the top 20, but has struggled to break into the higher places since his ’04 victory. Still, he’s a consistent player in good form, so all the signs are pointing towards him putting in a solid performance. This means he should be considered for inclusion in your DFS rosters.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia absolutely loves this course. He won The Players back in 2008 and has consistently placed well at Sawgrass since then. He’s never had much luck in the major events, but he really excels at tournaments like this one. The Spaniard is going into this event as a bit of a sleeper favorite. Many fans feel he’s finally due another win here, but he’ll be up against some of the toughest competitors around. Only a super all-round performance will be enough to see Garcia crowned champion, but he’s certainly capable of doing very well and is a great pick for your DFS roster, especially with his price tag at only 9,900.

Hideki Matsuyama

If you want consistency and reliability in your DFS rosters, look no further than Matsuyama. The Japanese sensation has finished in the top 20 in the last four events he has entered. He also won the Phoenix Open earlier this season and is having a great year in general. He’s done well enough here in recent years, with a couple of top 25 finishes to his name. We expect more of the same from Hideki at this year’s edition of The Players.

Bubba Watson

Bubba is one of golf’s veteran heroes. You can always count on him to add a bit of drama and excitement to any event. He’s had a decent time in 2016 so far, with his victory at the Northern Trust Open being a real highlight. That said, Bubba has struggled at Sawgrass throughout his career. He’s unpredictable and could be a risky pick, but at the same time he’s perfectly capable of pulling off a pleasant surprise. Bubba will cost you 9,300.

Phil Mickelson

Priced at 9,100, Lefty has even more experience than Bubba and might be a better DFS pick. He’s had several top 5 finishes already in 2016 and continues to prove that, even at the age of 45, his race is not yet run. He does have a Players title to his name, having won the 2007 edition of this tournament. However, the big red flag comes with the fact that he has missed the cut every year since 2013. Has he lost his touch on this course? If there’s anything we’ve learned from watching Lefty over the years, it’s to never count him out. He could be a good pick for any DFS roster, especially with his current form being so solid.

Danny Willett

It’s strange to see a Masters winner so low down this list, but Willett truly is priced at only 8,900. He actually hasn’t played competitively since his Major victory, but he’s done well in general this year, with several top 30 finishes. He has actually only appeared once at Sawgrass; that was last year, and he failed to make the cut. However, almost every great player has missed the cut on this course at one point or another, so we think we can cut Willett some slack and say that he should be a recommended pick for your rosters.

Patrick Reed

Reed will cost you 8,700 on DraftKings. He’s played at the last two editions of The Players. In 2014, he missed the cut. In 2015, he got a top 24 finish. So far in 2016, he has a very impressive tally of four top 10 finishes. The facts speak for themselves; Reed is in good form and should be relied upon to earn your roster some fantasy points. Just don’t expect any miracles from him.

Branden Grace

Grace is priced slightly lower than Reed, at 8,600. He didn’t compete at Quail Hollow, so has had a little extra time to rest and prepare for this event. Having claimed his first ever Tour win back in April, along with another top 10 finish at the Texas Open, Grace is playing some very good golf and will be hoping to do well at Sawgrass. He has decent history at this event, making the cut in both of his appearances, despite failing to finish anywhere near the top in the final rounds.

Zach Johnson

Johnson is another name to add to your roster if you care about consistency. He’s nearly always made the cut at this event in the past, which is no easy feat. He even almost got himself a win here back in 2012 and has reliably finished in the top 20 time and time again. He’s had a mixed time in 2016 so far but he enjoys playing on this course and can be trusted to do well once again. He’ll only cost you 8,300.

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Billy Horschel

Horschel costs 8,200 and will be one of the hometown heroes at Sawgrass, having been born and raised in the Sunshine State. With the crowd cheering for him, there’s no telling what he might be capable of. He’s done well in the past, with a top 24 finish back in 2014 and an even better top 13 finish in 2015. If he carries on at that rate of improvement, we could potentially be seeing him break into the top 10.

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar managed to win this event as recently as 2012. He won it in style too, beating out the likes of Martin Laird, Zach Johnson and Ben Curtis by a couple of strokes. Since then, he’s made the cut a couple of times but has failed to emulate his former success. He’s in decent form in 2016 and has been making the cut at pretty much every event he enters. He’ll be hoping to do the same at Sawgrass and can be in your DraftKings roster for 8,100.